‘Beware of dubious tourists from China’
A travel operator worries over Putrajaya’s move to attract one million visitors from Fujian province.
PETALING JAYA: A travel operator has raised concerns over the country’s security in reaction to news that the government is opening a visa processing centre in Xiamen, China, in a move to attract tourists from Fujian province.
Syed Mohd Razif Yassin, CEO of the Sutra Travel Management group of companies, urged the government to ensure that “uninvited guests” would be weeded out.
He noted that Putrajaya was aggressive in its bid to attract Chinese tourists, but he said it must ensure it wasn’t doing so at the expense of national security.
“We have to look at the safety of the country,” he told FMT. “We can’t just bring in any Tom, Dick and Harry who might create more social problems or criminal cases.
“You want to bring in one million tourists. You can do that, but you have to do it carefully.”
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently announced that the government had approved the setting up of the Xiamen visa centre. He said Putrajaya was hoping that it would result in one million tourist arrivals from Fujian province this year.
The government hopes to bring in four million tourists from China this year.
Syed Razif, a former president of the Bumiputera Tourism Operators Association, said it was also important for the government to ensure local travel operators weren’t losing out.
“Often, tourists who come in make their own arrangements and use their own operators,” he said. “By right they should be made to work with local operators.
“Sometimes you allow companies from China to open an office here, and then, instead of us getting the business, the business goes to them.”
The CEO of travel agency Ping Anchorage, Alex Lee, told FMT the number of tourists from China was increasing annually.
“We see an increasing trend of Chinese tourists heading to Malaysia,” he said. “The numbers increase every year. They’re especially interested in our east coast islands like Pulau Redang, Pulau Tioman and Pulau Perhentian.”
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